Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image encoding/decoding method and apparatus and, more particularly, to an intra-prediction method.
Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, a demand for images having high resolution and high quality, such as High Definition (HD) images and Ultra High Definition (UHD) images, is increasing in various application fields. As image data becomes high resolution and high quality, the amount of data is relatively more increased than existing image data. If image data is transmitted using an existing wired/wireless broadband line or stored using an existing storage medium, transmission costs and storage costs are increased. In order to solve the problems occurring due to the high resolution and high quality of image data, high-efficiency image compression techniques can be used.
The image compression techniques may include various techniques, such as an inter-prediction technique for predicting a pixel value included in a current picture in pictures anterior or posterior to the current picture, an intra-prediction technique for predicting a pixel value included in a current picture using information about pixels within the current picture, and an entropy coding technique for assigning a short symbol to a value having a high frequency of appearance and a long symbol to a value having a low frequency of appearance. Image data can be effectively compressed, transmitted, or stored using such image compression techniques.